Authentic Colorado green chili is based on pork, lots of green chili peppers and masa harina – a traditional Mexican flour. In fact there’s 4 pounds of Anaheim and jalapeno chili peppers in this recipe. Fire roasting the Anaheims and pork butt to start the cooking adds a rich flavor that only comes from cooking over live coals. Using the smoker to cook the chili low ‘n slow is as hands off as it gets plus lets the flavors blend with a smoky finish.

There is a legend that says George Washington and the Continental Army survived the winter of 1777 when the cook general created pepper pot soup from scraps of vegetable and meat and it’s been a Philly staple ever since. Since pepper pot is a Caribbean dish it’s more likely slaves and freedman introduced the spicy soup to the City of Brotherly Love.

My version of Philly Pepper Pot has lots of spice and is slow simmered in the smoker for extra flavor. I also substituted the traditional tripe for kielbasa and Polish sausage which I cooked over coals first for extra flavor. This makes a big pot so and goes well with good crusty bread, family and friends!

There are a lot of Hangover Soup recipes that claim to help you recover after a big party. Most of the recipes I’ve found are Asian and European variations. My version uses Eastern European seasonings and is packed with protein and flavor from bacon, pork loin, kielbasa and a surprise ingredient – dill pickles. Letting it stew slowly in the smoker adds even more depth to the flavors. I can’t guarantee it will cure your hangover but it IS perfect on a cold winter night.

Here in Utah it’s deer hunting season and getting cold so here’s my take on čobanac which is a traditional Croatian stew typically prepared with 3 types of meat. I enjoyed this dish on a trip to Croatia last summer and wanted to create my own version. It’s delicious and will stick with you on a cold day.

Croatian cooks would use anything from horse to lamb to beef. Each cook would come up with their own combination of spices which were a family secret but common to them all was lots of paprika! My take on čobanac uses venison, beef chuck and pork shoulder and was cooked in a dutch oven inside a smoker using charcoal and hickory chunks.

Hearty čobanac with crusty bread makes a great dinner on a cold night.